Reachable, yet Untouchable: a God of Paradox and Synonym

From birth,  I was  taught that I could approach God anytime,  anywhere.  This was a comfort to me although it wasn’t until I began traveling that I truly discovered the realness of this God as described in Psalm 139:  "You hem me in, behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. . . . Where can I go from your Spirit? . . . Your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast" (Psalm 139:   5, 7, 9, 10; NIV). 

The promise of that protection kept my heart from thumping audibly during a border interrogation in East Berlin.   It kept the scream in my throat instead of letting it escape when a  sword swallower  came after me in Beijing.  It kept me firm in Cairo when a swarm of panhandlers accosted me.  It kept me calm on a moonlit night by the Sea of Galilee.  It kept me safe during a careening ride through Paris.   And it brought me peace riding through Johannesburg amidst pre-election rioting.

The promise of that protection keeps me going still, although my everyday life as a school teacher seems boring and safe compared to the exotic excitement of my sometime summertime escapes—until a few weeks ago, until Covid-19 put a global life-or-death price on every move we make, relegating us to a virtual world-wide lockdown.  Still, I revel in the knowledge that even at home, the God of Psalm 139 is always with me.    This God is easy to believe in, easy to trust in, easy to be comfortable with. And yet Old Testament readers know there is a side of God which is not so reachable or comfortable.   This side of God requires that we “fear Him” and keep at a distance.  If seemingly diametrically opposed to the more common view of God, it must be reckoned with nonetheless, and if possible, reconciled.

The "reachableness" of the God I find in Psalm 139 is necessary for comfort, courage,  and community.  I need to feel the strength and power of  God in my  life.  I need to feel His warmth, examine His light, and  experience His protection to survive the emotional elements of human nature.    All this, I find in the nearness of God.  But the "untouchableness" of God is also necessary for revelation, respect and reflection.  I  need to know the strength and power of God in my  life, but I need distance to give me perspective,  space to give me cognizance, and  room to give me thought.  All this, I find in the "farness" of God.  The paradox is that  God must be both near and far if I am to feel Him and know Him in all his “awful” comfort and glory.  The miracle is that He can be, and is.   Paradox and synonym, different but the same.

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